Messiah Member serves on Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church

Messiah member Anthony Ormsbee-Hale recently completed his two-year service on the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church (CRLC) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). 

Anthony was nominated for this role by the Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod’s Council and the recommendation of Ann Hafften. His service on the Commission included appointments to the Governance Committee and serving as Chair of the Commission's Planning and Report Committee. Anthony was also asked to preach at the closing service of the commission, led by Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton (pictured above). You can read Anthony’s closing sermon to the group here. 

The formation of the CRLC was a directive from the 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, aiming to reassess and renew the church’s purpose statements, organizational structure, and broader commitments—with a particular focus on our shared dedication to dismantling racism. This commission was created as a reflection of our ongoing efforts to embody a church that is both responsive and reflective of the needs of all its members.

Anthony’s role on the commission involved engagement with leaders from all three expressions of our church, working in consultation with the Conference of Bishops and the ELCA Church Council. The goal was to provide well-considered recommendations to the 2025 Churchwide Assembly. 

The Commission’s final report will be released following the April 2025 ELCA Church Council meeting. For more information on the work of the CRLC, including past meeting summaries, please visit: https://www.elca.org/about/leadership/church-council/crlc